>> WELL, NOW THE U.S. IS FACING ONE OF ITS WORST MEASLES OUTBREAKS IN DECADES, WHICH LAST WEEK CLAIMED THE LIFE OF A SECOND CHILD.

THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES IS WORKING WITH LOCAL OFFICIALS TO COMBAT THE OUTBREAK, AND NOW THIS COMES AS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS SLASHING THOUSANDS OF JOBS AND BILLIONS IN GRANTS TO STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS.

TOM FRIEDEN LED THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION FOR OVER A DECADE, AND HE WARNS HARI SREENIVASAN THESE CUTS THREATEN ALL OVER THE WORLD.

>> LAST WEEK THE HHS ANNOUNCED IT'S BEGINNING SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN LAYOFFS.

10,000 PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE DOWNSIZED.

WHAT DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU HEARD THE NEWS?

>> UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS TARGETING ARBITRARY NUMBERS.

THE GOAL SHOULD BE PREVENTING SUFFERING, INJURY, ILLNESS, AND DEATH.

THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON WHEN WE ARE TRYING TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND MAKE AMERICA HEALTHIER.

>> SO YOU WROTE A COLUMN RECENTLY AND THE TITLE WAS "CUTS TO THE AGENCY WILL COST AMERICANS LIVES AND DOLLARS. "

EXPLAIN THAT.

WHY IS THIS LIFE OR DEATH IN.

>> TRADITIONALLY FOR DECADES THE CDC HAS PROTECTED AMERICANS FROM THREATS, WHETHER THOSE ARE INFECTIOUS OR OTHERWISE MAN MADE OR NATURAL FROM THE U.S. OR ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

IF YOU LOOK AT THOSE THREE AREAS THAT THREATS COME FROM, TWO OF THEM ARE BEING UNDERMINED BY RECENT ACTIONS.

ONE OF THEM IS NONINFECTIOUS THREATS, WHICH ARE VERY REAL.

THE CHRONIC DISEASE CRISIS IS INDEED A CRISIS, AND THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT.

AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE CUTS TO THE GLOBAL HEALTH PROGRAMS, THEY'RE DEVASTATING.

IF NOT REVERSED, THEY WILL CAUSE MILLIONS OF DEATHS AROUND THE WORLD AND MAKE AMERICANS LESS SAFE.

>> PEOPLE MIGHT RECOGNIZE YOUR FACE.

YOU USED TO RUN THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION.

KIND OF PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE FOR US, WHERE THE CDC SITS, WHAT IT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR, WHERE THE HHS SITS, WHAT IT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR.

>> THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED, HARI, NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED BEFORE.

WHAT WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR IS REVERSING DECADES OF PROGRESS IN PUBLIC HEALTH.

FIRST, LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE AM.

FIRST, SMOKING.

THE CDC OFFICE OF HEALTH HAS MADE GREAT PROGRESS.

WE'VE REDUCED SMOKING TO THE LOWEST LEVEL.

SMOKING IN KIDS IS LESS THAN 4% NOW.

IT USED TO BE 28%.

THESE ARE PROGRAMS WE'RE WORK.

AND OVERNIGHT THEY BE BEEN ENDED, AND THAT MEANS THE LACK OF WORK, THE DISEASE TRACKING, THE SUPPORT FOR STATE PROGRAMS.

THERE ARE MANY STATE PROGRAMS THAT RELY FOR MOST OF THEIR MONEY FOR TOBACCO CONTROL ON THE CDC.

THIS INCLUDES KANSAS, WEST VIRGINIA, MICHIGAN, AND OTHERS.

SO TOBACCO IS ONE BIG AREA.

A SECOND IS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RISKS.

THE WHOLE UNIT THAT TRACKS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RISKS WHETHER THAT'S ASTHMA OR SOOT CALLED MM 2.

5 OR HARMFUL ALGAE BLOOMS, A BIG ISSUE IN FLORIDA, THAT WHOLE UNIT WAS ENDED FROM ONE DAY TO THE NEXT.

THE THIRD AREA IS COMMUNICATION.

AMERICANS RELY ON THE CDC FOR FACT- BASED INFORMATION.

DOCTORS RELY ON THE CDC FOR MEDICAL GUIDANCE.

ALL OF THE CDC COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAMS WERE ENDED.

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THEY'RE GOING TO UPDATE THEIR WEBSITE OR LIVE STREAM PROGRAMS OR RUN WHAT'S CALLED CDC INFO WHERE THEY ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC.

THIS REALLY DOES UNDERMINE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE U.S. >> THERE'S A STORY IN "THE WASHINGTON POST," WHICH SAID THAT EMPLOYEES WHO WERE LAID OFF WORKED ON MEASURES TO, QUOTE, PREVENT DROWNWRECKER GUN VIOLENCE AND SMOKING.

SCIENTISTS RESEARCHED ASTHMA, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND WORKER SAFETY.

THESE PROGRAMS, SHOULD THEY BE UNDER THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL?

>> WELL, FIRST OFF, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN FUNDS GO TO THE CDC, ABOUT TWO- THIRDS OF ALL OF THOSE FUNDS GO OUT TO STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND SOME TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO CONFRONT THOSE PROBLEMS IN COMMUNITIES.

SO WHEN YOU CUT THE BUDGET FOR CDC, YOU'RE ACTUALLY CUTTING STATE AND LOCAL PROGRAMS.

AND WHEN YOU CUT THE NUMBER OF STAFF WORKING AT CDC, YOU'RE UNDERMINING THE ABILITY OF CDC TO BOTH INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THOSE PROGRAMS AND TO SUPPORT STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.

>> ROBERT F. KENNEDY HAD SAID --JR. , HAD SAID THIS OVERHAUL WAS NECESSARY.

HE PUT IT UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

QUOTE, THE REALITY IS CLEAR.

WHAT WE'RE DOING ISN'T WORKING.

DESPITE SPENDING $1.9 TRILLION IN ANNUAL COSTS, AMERICANS ARE GETTING SICKER EVERY YEAR.

IN THE PAST YEAR ALONE THE AGENCY'S BUDGET HAS GROWN BY 38%, YET OUTCOMES CONTINUE TO DECLINE.

>> THERE ARE ELEMENTS THE SECRETARY SAYS I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH.

WE HAVE A CRISIS.

WE MUST ADDRESS IT.

WHAT WE LEARN IN PUBLIC HEALTH WHEN WE FOCUS ON THINGS, WE CAN SEE BIG PROGRESS.

LOOK AT HIV.

WITH HIV WE HAVE A 90% REDUCTION IN DEATHS AND A 75% REDUCTION IN INFECTIONS BECAUSE OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS.

WHEN YOU ELIMINATE THOSE PROGRAMS, YOU GET RID OF LABS THAT TRACK THINGS LIKE HEPATITIS AND STDs.

YOU ELIMINATE TRACKING SYSTEMS FOR BEHAVIORAL RISKS.

YOU'RE REALLY PUTTING AMERICANS AT RISK.

>> THERE SEEMS TO BE A FOCUS ON CHRONIC DISEASE FROM THE PART OF THE CABINET SECRETARY.

WHERE ARE WE IN TERMS OF THE WORK THAT HHS AND CDC DO IN PREVENTING THOSE?

>> THE BIG PICTURE ABOUT CHRONIC DISEASE IS THERE IS NO MYSTERY ABOUT IT.

THERE ARE FIVE THINGS THAT ARE DRIVING MOST CHRONIC DISEASE IN AMERICA -- TOBACCO, SALT, SUGAR, SOOT CALLED PM 2.

5, AND ALCOHOL.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADDRESSING INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND ADDRESSING CHRONIC DISEASES IS THAT INFECTIOUS DISEASES DON'T HIRE LOBBYISTS.

THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET RID OF THE CDC PROGRAM FOR DECADES.

THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION ACCOMPLISHED THAT IN WEEKS.

A SECOND AREA THAT'S REALLY CHALLENGING IS IMPROVING NUTRITION.

THIS MEANS IMPROVING THE CHOICES THAT AMERICANS HAVE IN THE SUPERMARKET, IN RESTAURANTS SO THAT THE HEALTHIER FOODS ARE LESS EXPENSIVE, MORE ACCESSIBLE.

RIGHT NOW THE AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT SPENDS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO SUBSIDIZE UNHEALTHY FOOD THAT'S SOLD CHEAPLY TO AMERICANS.

>> WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT CHRONIC DISEASES, I MEAN, DATA DOESN'T SEEM TO BACK UP OUR CURRENT WAY OF DOING THINGS, RIGHT?

I MEAN, EARLY ON CANCER INCREASED BY 79% BETWEEN 1990 AND 2019 AROUND THE WORLD.

WITH MEDICAL PROBLEMS LIKE THIS SEEM TO BE PERSISTING, WHY SHOULD WE NOT SHIFT COURSE AS CABINET SECRETARY KENNEDY SAYS?

>> WE KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT CHRONIC DISEASE.

TAX TOBACCO.

TAX ALCOHOL, TAX SODA.

TAX JUNK FOOD.

THIS MAKES A REALLY BIG DIFFERENCE.

IF YOU CAN'T DO THAT, AT LEAST DON'T SUBSIDIZE JUNK FOOD AND UNHEALTHY FOOD.

MAKE HEALTHY FOOD CHEAPER AND MORE AVAILABLE.

IT'S ALSO CRITICAL WE IMPROVE OUR PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

HERE'S A SHOCKING FACT.

LESS THAN 5% OF ALL OF THE FUNDS THAT MEDICARE PROVIDES GOES TO PRIMARY CARE.

PRIMARY CARE IS YOUR LOCAL DOCTOR, YOUR FAMILY CLINICIAN.

THAT IS VERY, VERY COST-EFFECTIVE CARE.

IN FACT, THE BEST EVIDENCE IS IF WE DO IT RIGHT, WE COULD TRIPLE SPENDING ON PRIMARY CARE AND REDUCE OVERALL MEDICARE SPENDING.

AND IN FACT, PRIMARY CARE IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR ABOUT 100 MILLION AMERICANS DON'T HAVE A LOCAL DOCTOR.

SO, YES, WE DO NEED IMPROVEMENTS.

WE NEED BETTER PRIMARY HEALTH CARE, AND FRANKLY WE NEED MORE INVESTMENT IN SOME OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF ILLNESS, INJURY, DISABILITY, AND DEATH.

20 YEARS AGO I WROTE AN ARTICLE CALLED "ASLEEP AT THE SWITCH," THAT WE ARE ASLEEP AT THE SWITCH FROM INFECTIOUS TO NONINFECTIOUS CAUSES OF DEATH.

BUT WE INVEST, WE SEE BIG IMPROVEMENTS.

>> I WONDER WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT INFECTIOUS DISEASE, I WAS READING A PAPER LAST WEEK ASUCSF, AND IT SAID THAT WE ARE LIKELY TO SEE MORE DRUG-RESISTANT CASES OF TUBERCULOSIS AND HIV SPREAD IN THE WORLD.

THIS IS KIND OF WHAT HAPPENS AFTER PERIODS OF WAR OR ECONOMIC COLLAPSE, AND THAT'S WHAT THESE TWO RESEARCHERS WERE KIND OF MAKING THIS PARALLEL TO, OUR WITHDRAWAL FROM U.S. AID OR IN SOME OF THE PREVENTATIVE ISSUES UNDER BOTH OF THESE DEPARTMENTS.

>> THE CHAOTIC U.S. WITHDRAWAL FROM GLOBAL HEALTH IS GOING TO HAVE TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES NOT ONLY ON THE HEALTH OF CHILDREN, MOTHERS, AND ADULTS AROUND THE WORLD BUT ALSO ON AMERICAN HEALTH.

DRUG RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS IS AN IMPORTANT EXAMPLE.

WHEN YOU STOP A TB TREATMENT PROGRAM, WHEN YOU DISRUPT IT WITH MESSING UP SUPPLY CHAINS, WITH STOPPING FUNDING OF ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING CARE -- TO GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE AN EXCELLENT ORGANIZATION IN BANGLADESH HAD THOUSANDS OF WORKERS HELPING TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS GET THROUGH TREATMENT.

THEY WERE LAID OFF.

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF HEALTH WORKERS IN AFRICA HAVE BEEN LAID OFF BECAUSE OF THESE VERY DRASTIC, CHAOTIC, AND UNPLANNED CUTS.

THESE IS REALLY BAD FOR THE WORLD, AND IT'S BAD FOR THE U.S. ALSO.

A SINGLE CASE OF DRUG RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS CAN COST HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OR EVEN A MILLION DOLLARS TO CARE FOR IN THE U.S. AND YET PREVENTING THAT OVERSEAS COULD COST LESS THAN $100.

>> HOW DO WE GET OVER WHAT HAS BECOME A STRUCTURAL MISTRUST IN THE INSTITUTIONS WITHIN OUR GOVERNMENT REGARDING HEALTH?

RIGHT, THERE WERE AN IPSOS/AXOS POLL 20% OF AMERICANS TRUSTED THE CDC.

BY AUGUST OF 2024 ONLY 49% OF REPUBLICANS AND 59% OF INDEPENDENTS COMPARED TO 88% OF DEMOCRATS.

IT BECOMES AN INCREDIBLY PARTISAN SPLIT.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ACCOUNTS FOR THIS KIND OF LACK OF TRUST, AND WHAT DO WE DO TO TRY TO REBUILD IT?

>> THIS ISN'T EASY TO REBUILD, AND I THINK BOTH ADMINISTRATIONS BEAR SOME OF THE BLAME FOR THIS, FRANKLY.

IN THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION THE CDC WAS REQUIRED TO SPEAK AS PART OF THE WHITE HOUSE, AND THAT'S A PROBLEM.

BECAUSE IF THEY'RE CONNECTED WITH POLITICIANS, THAIN PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE THOSE POLITICIANS, AREN'T GOING TO LIKE THE ADVICE THAT CDC GIVES.

UNFORTUNATELY, TRUST IS ONLY BUILT VERY GRADUALLY AND CAN BE DESTROYED IN A MOMENT.

WHAT CDC AND PUBLIC HEALTH NEED TO DO IS LISTEN, ADDRESS WHAT PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT, HAVE SMALL WINS, AND STAY AWAY FROM MANDATES.

NOT POPULAR, NOT EFFECTIVE, AND FOR MOST THINGS NOT NECESSARY.

THE FEW THINGS THAT ARE NECESSARY.

SHUTTING A LOCAL RESTAURANT THAT'S SPREADING TYPHOID OR SALMONELLA, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE WITH UNDERSTAND.

>> SPEAKING OF THINGS THAT ARE INFECTIOUS DISEASES THAT ARE AFFECTING POPULATIONS TODAY, JUST OVER THE WEEKEND A SECOND CHILD IN TEXAS DIED FROM A MEASLES OUTBREAK THERE.

IN AN OP-ED SECRETARY KENNEDY HAS PROMOTED VACCINES, BUT HE'S ALSO PURSUED REMEDIES LIKE VITAMIN A AND COD LIVER OIL.

I WONDER WHAT YOU SEE ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS AND MESSAGING, DO YOU SEE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT APPROACH?

>> THERE ARE REALLY BIG PROBLEMS WITH THE U.S.

RESPONSE TO MEASLES.

JUST TO BE CLEAR THIS IS THE SECOND LARGEST OUTBREAK WE'VE HAD IN THE LAST 25 YEARS AND AS MANY DEATHS WE'VE HAD IN THE LAST 25 YEARS COMBINED IN THE U.S.

THE MEASLES VACCINE IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE.

MEASLES VIRUS IS DANGEROUS.

AND AS WE'VE SEEN, IT CAN BE DEADLY EVEN FOR HEALTHY CHILDREN.

VITAMIN-A --ACTUALLY, BY CHANCE I DID THE STUDIES ON TAMIN-A, WHEN THERE WAS A BIG OUTBREAK IN THE CITY IN THE 1980 s. VITAMIN- A PLAYS A ROLE.

FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN A SMALL DOSE OF VITAMIN-A CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.

IF YOU TAKE TOO MUCH IT CAN BE TOXIC.

THESE ARE NOT JUST TOXIC MEDICINES BUT TOXIC ADVICE.

THE WAY YOU STOP A MEASLES OUTBREAK IS BY VACCINATING, PROVIDING IT TO PEOPLE, ANSWERING THEIR QUESTIONS, BEING CLEAR THE MEASLES VACCINE IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE P. >> IS ROBERT KENNEDY JR. , MISINTERPRETING YOUR ADVICE ABOUT VITAMIN A STUDIES?

>> ANYONE WHO SAYS GIVING VITAMIN A WILL PREVENT MEASLES OR GIVEN BEFORE A MEASLES INFECTION IS NOT SUPPORTED BY ANY FACTS.

>> RECENTLY WE HAD THE CHIEF HE LEFT FDA BECAUSE OF DISAGREEMENTS.

HE TOLD "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL" THAT KENNEDY SOUGHT NONEXISTENT DATA TO JUSTIFY ANTI- VAXX NARRATIVES.

SO WHAT DO YOU SEE HERE IF THE PERSON WHO'S RUNNING THE AGENCY IN CHARGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES IS PROMOTING MIS OR DISINFORMATION?

>> I'M WORRIED.

AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT THINGS LIKE ADVISORY PRACTICES WHERE MR. KENNEDY HAS SPREAD FALSE STATEMENTS.

HE SAID 90% OF HAVE SEVERE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.

THAT IS NOT TRUE.

WHAT CDC HAS PUT ON THE WEBSITE EVERY POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN EVERY MEMBER OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THESE ARE PARENTS, PEDIATRICIANS, PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALISTS WHO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME.

AND THIS GROUP WHAT'S CALLED THE ACIP IS WHAT GIVES DOCTORS THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHICH VACCINES TO GIVE AND WHAT REQUIRES INSURERS TO PAY FOR THESE VACCINES WHETHER THEY'RE THERE FOR COVID OR MENINGITIS.

SO MESSING UP OUR INFRASTRUCTURE TO USE FACTS TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM MICROBES IS VERY DANGEROUS PATH TO GO DOWN.

>> SO WHAT'S DANGEROUS IN SAYING PERHAPS THESE FUNCTIONS CAN BE DONE BY OTHER DEPARTMENTS, OTHER AGENCIES, AND THIS IS A WAY THAT WE CAN CUT COSTS?

>> THERE'S A MOVE TO CREATE A CENTRALIZED UNIT IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND ACTUALLY CONGRESS HAS OUTLINED SOME INTEREST IN LOOKING AT THAT.

UNTIL YOU SEE WHAT ACTUALLY WOULD BE DONE AND HOW, IT'S HARD TO SAY WHETHER IT'S A GOOD OR BAD IDEA.

CERTAINLY DOING THINGS IN AN UNPLANNED WAY, GETTING RID OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO SPENT DECADES OF THEIR LIVES LEARNING HOW TO PROTECT AMERICANS, THAT'S A BAD IDEA, AND IT'S NOT A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS.

AND COMMUNICATION IS SO VERY IMPORTANT.

WHO'S GOING TO TRUST A POLITICAL APPOINTEE TO GIVE INFORMATION WHEN THE TAXPAYERS ARE PAYING THE WORLD'S TOP EXPERTS IN MICROBES, IN ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS, IN PREVENTION OF STROKE AND HEART ATTACK, AND TREATMENT OF DIABETES.

THAT'S WHO WE NEED TO BE HEARING FROM, AND THAT'S HUT WE NEED TO BE STRENGTHENING.

WE CAN REVERSE THE CHRONIC DISEASE EPIDEMIC IN THIS COUNTRY, BUT THAT MEANS BETTER PRIMARY HEALTH CARE WITH A FOCUS ON CONTROLLING HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAMS THAT WORK WHILE WE FIGURE OUT WHAT'S CAUSING SOME OF THE INCREASES.

FOR EXAMPLE, OF CANCER IN YOUNG PEOPLE, WHICH IS MOST LIKELY A RESULT OF SOME ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATIONS, WHETHER IT'S MICROPLASTICS OR NANO PARTICLES OR ENDOCRINE DISRUPTERS.

ALL THOSE THINGS WERE STUDIED BY THE CDC UNIT THAT GOT AXED LAST WEEK.

>> ONE OF THE SECTIONS THAT WE SEE HERE THAT'S BEING SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED IS THE NIH AND THE GRANTS THAT USUALLY GO THROUGH NIH FOR RESEARCHERS AROUND THE COUNTRY AND REALLY SOMETIMES AROUND THE WORLD.

PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE FOR US, RIGHT?

IF SOMEBODY UNDERSTANDS THAT, OKAY, THE GOVERNMENT IS INTERESTED IN TRYING TO PREVENT CHRONIC DISEASE, IS TRYING TO GET ME HEALTHIER FROM THE GET-GO, IF THAT'S WHAT THE CABINET SECRETARY SAYS, SHOULD WE BE INVESTING IN RESEARCH THAT MIGHT NOT BEAR FRUIT FOR YEARS OR POSSIBLY EVEN DECADES?

>> IN MY VIEW WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS IMPLEMENT WHAT'S PROVEN.

AND FOR THE THINGS THAT AREN'T PROVEN, STUDY THEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WORKS.

THERE'S A LOT THAT'S PROVEN TO REDUCE CHRONIC DISEASE, ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, JUNK FOOD.

WE HAVE PROVEN MECHANISMS OF REDUCING THE CONSUMPTION OF THOSE HARMFUL SUBSTANCES.

SOOT 2.

5, THERE ARE PROVEN WAYS OF REDUCING EXPOSURE.

WE DON'T NEED STUDIES ON WHETHER THAT'S A PROBLEM.

WE MAY NEED RESEARCH TO FIGURE HOW TO BEST IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS LIKE THAT.

THERE ARE OTHER THINGS LIKE CANCER IN YOUNG PEOPLE, WHICH ARE INCREASING.

AND WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY THAT'S HAPPENING SO WE CAN CONFRONT IT.

>> MAKE THE CASE FOR HOW INTERCONNECTED GLOBAL HEALTH IS TO AMERICAN HEALTH BECAUSE SOME OF THE PUSHBACK THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SEEING RECENTLY IS, OKAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, I DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW IF I SHOULD BE SPENDING TAXPAYER MONEY ON PREVENTING TUBERCULOSIS IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY OR HIV IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY.

WHAT DOES GNAT HAVE TO DO WITH AMERICAN HEALTH HERE?

>> VIRUSES DON'T NEED PASSPORTS.

VIRUSES DON'T OBEY BORDERS.

AND WHEN A DISEASE EMERGES ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, IT MAY BE A THREAT NOT JUST THERE BUT TO THE U.S. AS WELL.

IT'S FASTER.

IT'S MORE EFFICIENT, AND IT'S MORE EFFECTIVE TO STOP HEALTH THREATS WHEN AND WHERE THEY EMERGE THAN TO WAIT UNTIL THEY'VE SPREAD AND GAINED MOMENTUM AND ARE NOW SPREADING WITHIN THE UNITED STATES.

>> FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE CDC TOM FRIEDEN, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU, HARI.